Bills Beat Blog

Training Camp Notebook: Day 12

On their first day back to practice after a preseason loss, the Buffalo Bills were under the lights at St. John Fisher College.

While the focus was on executing as an offense a bit better, there were some defenders that really stole the show.

Here are some notes from Saturday night's practice:

- Practice MVP: Kyle WIlliams - If Kyle Williams isn't 100-percent healthy yet, he's doing a damn good job at hiding it. Williams looks like the player of old, dominating at times during team drills. The interior offensive linemen were no match for number-95, who was constantly in the backfield trying to break up plays. The most impressive part to his game is his fire off the line of scrimmage and timing of the snap. He looked great in the Bills' first preseason game, and the song remained the same for Saturday's practice.

- Practice LVP: Kraig Urbik - The right guard/center could not get out of his own way on Saturday. He's been effective for a large portion of camp, but during both 1-on-1 and team drills, Urbik was consistently beaten by his man. A solid player will be prone to a bad practice every now and again. Tonight was Urbik's turn.

- If it weren't for Kyle Williams and his performance, the MVP award would have went to Dorin Dickerson. It's been mostly a down camp for him so far, but he really looked poised and comfortable catching the ball on Saturday night. Lined up on the outside, Dickerson streaked toward the end zone down the right side, when Ryan Fitzpatrick hit him perfectly in stride for a touchdown. With a defender in close proximity, Dickerson's concentration to bring in the ball and get both feet in for the score was impressive. He needs to build off this practice.

- Those that have been reading the 'Training Camp Notebook' series have come to realize that I think defensive end Kyle Moore is a surprise guy that can end up making this roster. Moore is getting some first-team reps when the Bills start to rotate along the defensive line, and shows some very good ability in rushing the passer. When the team plucked Moore off of Detroit's practice squad in November of 2011, I looked at his playing background and his size, and wondered to myself if he was the first indication that the Bills would be heading back to a 4-3 front on defense. When asked about Moore on Saturday, Chan Gailey said he's got to learn to play every aspect of the game -- meaning the run. But if you have a guy that can get after the passer fairly well, that's a high quality player to keep for depth.

- Following the abysmal performance of both Tyler Thigpen and Vince Young against Washington on Thursday, the pair took to the practice field to try and separate from one another yet again. While they both did some nice things, it was a two-step forward, two-step back kind of evening for each. Vince Young, working with the second-team, delivered some solid strikes over the middle of the field with his receiver in stride. He paired that, however, with continuing his trend of not pulling the trigger and a failure to make up his mind quickly enough as the pressure was collapsing the pocket. In the case of Thigpen, I thought he was very efficient at the back-shoulder throw along the sidelines throughout practice. However, those nice throws were coupled with Thigpen eyeing down his receiver, with it almost leading to an interception in the end zone. Thigpen is up with the two's on Sunday.

- For as much as fifth-round pick and offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders has struggled in training camp, I thought he had his best day so far. Most importantly, he did not accrue any pre-snap penalties for a false start -- a trait that has plagued him throughout camp. He also performed very well in both 1-on-1 and team drills. It's a building block for the former Seminole standout.

- This is less about how he looked on Saturday, and more about the type of opportunity that awaits him. It's sink or swim time for 2010 third-round pick Alex Carrington. The defensive tackle is being rotated through with the first-team, now that Spencer Johnson has a minor shoulder injury that could keep him out for a practice or two. Carrington has done little to separate himself and to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster. He was average against third-string players in the team's first preseason game. It's quite the chance to make an impression on Dave Wannstedt and company.

Injury Notes:
- Justin Rogers, Josh Nesbitt, Mike Caussin and Kevin Brock were the only four not to practice on Saturday.

- Kelvin Sheppard did not participate in team drills. He's been dealing with an undisclosed injury that has acted up on him sporadically. His status for Sunday is unknown.

- David Nelson, Erik Pears, Eric Wood, Terrence McGee and Torell Troup all took the most team reps since their respective injuries were suffered. Gailey has said in the past he wants to bring all of them along slowly. The head coach targets the Bills' third preseason game as a potential return for Wood.

The Bills resume practice on Sunday at 3 pm. The session at St. John Fisher College is once again open to the general public.